Charles Taylor sentenced to 50 years in prison for war crimes | World news | The Guardian Charles Taylor Charles Taylor sentenced to 50 years in prison for war crimes Judge at court in The Hague says ex-Liberia president's crimes were of the 'utmost gravity in scale and brutality' Wednesday 30 May 2012 06.16 EDT First published on Wednesday 30 May 2012 06.16 EDT Close This article is 4 years old Liberia's former president, Charles Taylor , has been sentenced to 50 years in jail for being "in a class of his own" when committing war crimes during the long-running civil war in neighbouring Sierra Leone. Judges at a UN-backed tribunal in The Hague said his leadership role and exploitation of the conflict to extract so-called "blood diamonds" meant he deserved one of the longest prison sentences handed down so far by the court. Taylor, 64, was found guilty last month of 11 counts of aiding and abetting war crimes and crimes against humanity, when supporting rebels between 1996 and 2002 in return for conflict gems.

The offences included murder, rape, sexual slavery, recruiting child soldiers, enforced amputations and pillage. Delivering the decision at the special court for Sierra Leone , Judge Richard Lussick said Taylor's crimes were of the "utmost gravity in terms of scale and brutality". He added: "The lives of many more innocent civilians in Sierra Leone were lost or destroyed as a direct result of his actions." Taylor was "in a class of his own" compared with others convicted by the court. "The special status of Mr Taylor as a head of state puts him in a different category of offenders for the purpose of sentencing." Prosecutors had asked the judges to impose an 80-year prison term. Lussick said such a long term would have been excessive as Taylor was convicted of aiding and abetting which "as a mode of liability generally warrants a lesser sentence than that imposed for more direct forms of participation". Issa Sesay, a leader of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) which carried out many of the atrocities, has been sentenced to 52 years in jail. Taylor, in a suit and yellow tie, gave no response as Lussick handed down what will effectively be a life sentence.

His lawyers have 14 days to lodge an appeal against verdict and sentence. Adama Dempster of the Liberian Human Rights Protection Forum was in the courtroom. "I was watching Mr Taylor," he said. "He was quiet. He was moving his head from one position to another. He had a little bit of red in his eyes. "Fifty years is a lot but it's about bringing redress for the victims. It's also about reinforcing the principle that no man is above the law. It serves as a precedent to dictators and those who encourage war. From our standpoint we saw justice being done. There was no sense of jubilation in court." Aid agencies and organisations in Sierra Leone welcomed the sentence. Korto Williams, director of ActionAid Liberia, said: "Not only is this verdict an opportunity for Sierra Leone and Liberia to move forward, it also signals the international community's clear intent that any leader who misuses their power and carries out state-sanctioned violence will be held responsible for their crimes and will be punished." Adama Coulibaly of the children's rights organisation Plan International, which works in Sierra Leone to help former child soldiers and civil war survivors, said: "Many young people in Sierra Leone witnessed their parents being killed.

Some were pulled into the fighting forces as soldiers or bush wives. Those who experienced this war as children continue to be haunted by its atrocities. "Taylor's trials in The Hague seem very far away from the reality of people's actual lives. For a region where peace and political stability are extremely fragile, this trial is of important symbolic value, rather than bringing actual redemption to those who suffered during the war." Geraldine Mattioli-Zeltner of Human Rights Watch said: "It is really significant that Taylor's status as a former head of state was taken as an aggravating factor as far as his sentence was concerned. "That is a very important precedent and I hope that Syria's Bashar al-Assad and Sudan's Omar Hassan al-Bashir take note." Taylor is the first former head of state convicted by an international war crimes court since Admiral Karl Dönitz, Hitler's successor, was jailed at Nuremberg. The civil war left more than 50,000 dead in the west African state. Thousands had their arms or hands forcibly amputated. During the conflict, the country's average life expectancy dipped to 37 years.

Taylor's sentence is likely to be served in the UK, which has offered to take him once his trial and appeal are completed. Taylor's defence told the court that exiling him to Britain – where a Serbian war crimes convict was attacked in his cell two years ago – would leave him "culturally isolated" and constitute a "punishment within a punishment". In his last address to the tribunal, Taylor denied encouraging human rights abuses during the prolonged civil war in Sierra Leone , insisting he had in fact been trying to stabilise the region. "What I did to bring peace to Sierra Leone was done with honour. I was convinced that unless there was peace in Sierra Leone, Liberia would not be able to move forward. "I pushed the peace process hard, contrary to how I have been portrayed in this court." The court's prosecutor, Brenda Hollis, said that she may appeal the sentence on the grounds that it is too lenient. "We will carefully review the sentencing judgment keeping in mind the critical role Mr Taylor played in the commission of the crimes of which he has been convicted, the horrible suffering of the victims, and the devastating impact of the crimes," she said. "It is important that those responsible for criminal misconduct on a massive scale are not given a volume discount.

"The sentence imposed today does not replace amputated limbs, does not bring back to life those who were murdered, does not heal the wounds of those who were victims of sexual violence and does not remove the permanent emotional, psychological and physical scars of those enslaved or recruited as child soldiers." Charles Taylor Sentenced to 50 Years for War Crimes - The New York Times The New York Times Africa |Ex-Liberian Leader Gets 50 Years for War Crimes Search Continue reading the main story Photo Charles G. Taylor in court on Wednesday outside The Hague ahead of his sentencing for war crimes. Credit Pool photo by Toussaint Kluiters LEIDSCHENDAM, the Netherlands — Charles G. Taylor , the former president of Liberia and a once-powerful warlord, was sentenced on Wednesday to 50 years in prison for his role in atrocities committed in Sierra Leone during its civil war in the 1990s. In what was viewed as a watershed case for modern human rights law, Mr. Taylor was the first former head of state convicted by an international tribunal since the Nuremberg trials in Germany after World War II . Mr.

Taylor was found guilty of “aiding and abetting, as well as planning, some of the most heinous and brutal crimes recorded in human history,” said Richard Lussick, the judge who presided over the sentencing here in an international criminal court near The Hague. He said the lengthy prison term underscored Mr. Taylor’s position as a government’s leader during the time the crimes were committed. “Leadership must be carried out by example, by the prosecution of crimes, not the commission of crimes,” the judge said in a statement read before the court. If carried out, the sentence is likely to mean that Mr. Taylor, 64, will spend the rest of his life in prison. He looked at the floor after he was asked to stand as the sentence was read. Photo Mr. Taylor with supporters during the 1997 elections in Liberia. He stepped down six years later under international pressure. Credit Issouf Sanogo/Agence-France Presse The chief prosecutor, Brenda Hollis, told a news conference that could be viewed in West Africa: “The sentence today does not replace amputated limbs; it does not bring back those who were murdered,” she said.

“It does not heal the wounds of those who were raped or forced to become sexual slaves.” Mr. Taylor’s legal team said it would file an appeal. “The sentence is clearly excessive, clearly disproportionate to his circumstances, his age and his health, and does not take into account the fact that he stepped down from office voluntarily,” said Morris Anya, one of Mr. Taylor’s lawyers. Advertisement Continue reading the main story The prosecution, which had sought an even longer sentence of 80 years, said it was considering its own appeal, to raise the level of responsibility attributed to Mr. Taylor for crimes committed under his leadership. Two rebel commanders tried earlier were handed similar prison sentences of 50 and 52 years, and a prosecutor said Mr. Taylor’s overall responsibility for the atrocities was considerably greater. He did not freely leave office, but was pushed out in 2003 as rebels marched on his capital and a delegation of African leaders urged him to prevent further bloodshed and seek exile in Nigeria. The court must set a precise prison term; it is not allowed to impose a life sentence or the death penalty.

Outside the courthouse, Salamba Silla, who works with victims’ groups in Sierra Leone, pleaded for more help for former child soldiers, orphans, people whose limbs were hacked off and other victims of the country’s war. “You can see hundreds of them begging on the streets of Freetown,” the capital, she said. “Many who suffered horrendously need help to return to the provinces, they think they cannot survive there.” Photo Maimed Sierra Leone men waiting for treatment in 1998. Charles G. Taylor was convicted of committing atrocities there. Credit David Guttenfelder/Associated Press Ibrahim Sorie, a lawmaker from Sierra Leone who had been seated in the court’s gallery, said the sentence was fair. “It restores our faith in the rule of law, and we see that impunity is ending for top people,” Mr. Sorie said. By previous agreement, Mr. Taylor will serve his sentence in a British prison, but since the appeals process is expected to last at least a year, he will remain in the relative comfort of the United Nations’ detention center at The Hague. After more than a year of deliberations, the Special Court for Sierra Leone found Mr.

Taylor guilty in late April of crimes against humanity and war crimes for his part in fomenting widespread brutality that included murder, rape, the use of child soldiers, the mutilation of thousands of civilians and the mining of diamonds to pay for guns and ammunition. Prosecutors have said that Mr. Taylor was motivated in these gruesome actions not by any ideology but rather by “pure avarice” and a thirst for power. The United Nations-backed tribunal began it work in Sierra Leone, where it tried its other cases, but out of concern that hearings in West Africa would cause unrest among those who still support Mr. Taylor, his trial was moved to the Netherlands. Advertisement Continue reading the main story In Liberia, where Mr. Taylor began a civil war and amassed a record of human rights atrocities during his dictatorial rule, there has not been the political will or the resources to set up a tribunal. The mandate of the Special Court for Sierra Leone covers only crimes between 1996 and 2002, and because the tribunal is to be shut down, critics say that a number of people close to Mr. Taylor have escaped prosecution.

Witnesses who testified at the Taylor trial — which lasted more than twice as long as planned — included men whose hands had been chopped off and women who had been raped. Associates and aides of Mr. Taylor also testified. One aide described a secret bonding ritual in Liberia during which he and others joined Mr. Taylor in eating a human heart. Video TimesCast | Charles Taylor Convicted Charles G. Taylor, the former president of Liberia and a once-powerful warlord, was convicted by an international tribunal for war crimes. By Kassie Bracken and Vijai Singh on Publish Date April 26, 2012. . Watch in Times Video » embed Diamonds, as well as atrocities, also came up repeatedly in the 2,500-page judgment. The judges agreed with the prosecution that diamonds mined in Sierra Leone were used to pay for arms and ammunition for Mr. Taylor’s proxy army, and that rough diamonds were delivered to Mr. Taylor’s house in Monrovia, the Liberian capital. One diamond story that received a lot of attention during the trial involved the court appearance of the model Naomi Campbell. Prosecutors said Ms. Campbell had been sent uncut diamonds as a gift from Mr.

Taylor after they attended a charity dinner hosted by Nelson Mandela when he was the president of South Africa. Two of Ms. Campbell’s companions who recounted the episode in court — her agent, Carole White, and the actress Mia Farrow — were repeatedly called “liars” during cross-examination by the defense. But the judges wrote that the two women were “frank and truthful witnesses,” and contrasted them with Ms. Campbell. They called her a “reluctant witness” who “deliberately omitted certain details out of fear.” They added that Ms. Campbell “said she came to the realization that the diamonds were sent by Taylor.” Eight other leading members of different forces and rebel groups have already been sentenced by the tribunal. Mr. Taylor is the special court’s last defendant. Since his trial began, 115 witnesses have testified. The three-panel bench, made up of judges from Uganda, Samoa and Ireland, gave Mr. Taylor leeway during his defense. He spent seven months — covering 81 days of the trial — in the witness chair, telling his life story without ever being cut off for digressions or political statements.

He said he had heard about atrocities — “that nobody on this planet would not have heard about the atrocities in Sierra Leone” — but that he would “never, ever” have permitted them. Marlise Simons reported from Leidschendam, the Netherlands, and J. David Goodman from New York. A version of this article appears in print on May 31, 2012, on Page A1 of the New York edition with the headline: Ex-Liberian Leader Gets 50 Years for War Crimes. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe Charles Taylor sentenced to 50 years for war crimes - CNN.com Charles Taylor sentenced to 50 years for war crimes By Ben Brumfield, CNN Updated 7:04 AM ET, Thu May 31, 2012 Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds.

JUST WATCHED Former child soldier speaks out 01:51 Story highlights Charles Taylor aided "the most heinous and brutal crimes recorded in human history" A victim recounted having to carry the severed heads of her own children He was also found guilty of using "blood diamonds" to fuel a civil war and enrich himself The former Liberian president sees himself as a victim of biased justice The first former head of state to be convicted of war crimes since World War II was sentenced to 50 years in prison Wednesday by an international court in The Hague, Netherlands. The Special Court for Sierra Leone convicted former Liberian president Charles Taylor last month of supplying and encouraging rebels in neighboring Sierra Leone in a campaign of terror, involving murder, rape, sexual slavery and the conscription children younger than 15. Taylor directed his gaze downward while Presiding Judge Richard Lussick read the sentencing statement, which began with a horror cabinet of carnage committed in Sierra Leone by rebels from the Revolutionary United Front, which the former president backed.

Photos: Charles Taylor: Liberia's feared warlord Photos: Charles Taylor: Liberia's feared warlord Charles Taylor: Liberia's feared warlord – Charles Taylor, leader of the rebel National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) waves to recruits 28 May 1990 upon seizing the port of Buchanan, 200 kms (120 miles) from the capital Monrovia. Hide Caption 1 of 10 Photos: Charles Taylor: Liberia's feared warlord Charles Taylor: Liberia's feared warlord – Rebels loyal to Charles Taylor take position behind a truck in May 1990 in Monrovia. Hide Caption 2 of 10 Photos: Charles Taylor: Liberia's feared warlord Charles Taylor: Liberia's feared warlord – A masked rebel loyal to warlord Charles Taylor patrols in the streets of Monrovia in August 1990. Hide Caption 3 of 10 Photos: Charles Taylor: Liberia's feared warlord Charles Taylor: Liberia's feared warlord – Liberian President Charles Taylor, right, chats to Nigerian counterpart Olusegun Obasanjo during a symbolic bonfire to destroy weapons in Monrovia in July 1999.

Hide Caption 4 of 10 Photos: Charles Taylor: Liberia's feared warlord Liberia child – A child soldier wearing a teddy bear backpack points his gun at a photographer in a street of Monrovia in June 2003. Hide Caption 5 of 10 Photos: Charles Taylor: Liberia's feared warlord Charles Taylor: Liberia's feared warlord – Charles Taylor is comforted by his wife, Jewel Howard-Taylor, at the funeral of his mother in July 2003 in Monrovia. Hide Caption 6 of 10 Photos: Charles Taylor: Liberia's feared warlord Charles Taylor: Liberia's feared warlord – Charles Taylor, left, sits beside Liberia's new President Moses Zeh Blah during a swearing-in ceremony in Monrovia in August 2003. Hide Caption 7 of 10 Photos: Charles Taylor: Liberia's feared warlord Charles Taylor: Liberia's feared warlord – Charles Taylor waves as he boards a Nigerian government plane in Liberia August 2003 that will take him into exile.

Hide Caption 8 of 10 Photos: Charles Taylor: Liberia's feared warlord Charles Taylor: Liberia's feared warlord – Charles Taylor arrives at Rotterdam Airport in June 2006 for his war crimes trial following his arrest in Nigeria. Hide Caption 9 of 10 Photos: Charles Taylor: Liberia's feared warlord Charles Taylor: Liberia's feared warlord – Charles Taylor waits for the start of the prosecution's closing arguments during his trial at the U.N. Special Court for Sierra Leone in February 2011. Hide Caption 10 of 10 "The accused has been found responsible for aiding and abetting as well as planning some of the most heinous and brutal crimes recorded in human history," said Lussick, who described one RUF military operation as the "indiscriminate killing of anything that moved." JUST WATCHED Charles Taylor sentenced to 50 years 02:33 JUST WATCHED MUST WATCH Understanding Charles Taylor's sentence 03:54 He spoke of amputations with machetes -- some carried out by child soldiers forced to do so -- and read accounts by witnesses who suffered under the violence.

"Witness TF1064 was forced to carry a bag containing human heads," Lussick said. "On the way, the rebels ordered her to laugh as she carried the bags dripping with blood." Upon arrival, "the bag was emptied, and she saw the heads of her children." A former child soldier, conscripted at age 12, in his testimony told of "having the letters RUF carved into his chest," Lussick said. "When ordered on a food-finding mission to rape an old woman they found at a farmhouse, the boy cried and refused, for which he was punished." The prosecution had asked the Special Court for Sierra Leone to sentence Taylor, who was president of Liberia from 1997 to 2003, to 80 years behind bars, but the judges found the recommendation "excessive," citing the "limited scope" of the conviction in key attacks. The prosecutors had failed to prove that Taylor assumed direct command over rebels who committed atrocities. There is no death penalty in international criminal law, and Taylor, 64, will serve out his sentence in a British prison.

The former Liberian president is appealing his conviction and will receive credit for time already served since his apprehension in March 2006. JUST WATCHED MUST WATCH Amputees struggle in Sierra Leone 02:56 The atrocities he was convicted of supporting occurred over the course of five years -- almost his entire presidency -- and reached a peak in 1998 and 1999. Sierra Leone's civil war lasted from 1991 to 2002, ultimately leaving 50,000 dead or missing. Although Taylor was not on the battlefield in Sierra Leone, the court saw his position of power as president of the neighboring country and the use of his own military's capabilities to stoke up RUF rebels as making him directly responsible for the bloodshed he encouraged. Taylor does not see himself as a war criminal but as a victim -- a leader wronged by corruption and a hypocritical hand of justice with a political agenda. "I never stood a chance," he said last week during his final courtroom stand.

"Only time will tell how many other African heads of state will be destroyed." Taylor accused the United States government of throwing the trial by paying prosecutors millions of dollars and claimed that witnesses had been bought. He has expressed no remorse and insisted his intent was far from what had been portrayed by prosecutors. He has described himself as a peacemaker, saying he should be spared a harsh sentence. His defense attorneys pointed to the former Liberian president's role in the peace process that ended the civil war as a mitigating factor in his sentencing. But after lengthy consideration, the panel of judges -- which in addition to Lassick included Judge Teresa Doherty and Judge Julia Sebutinde -- did not buy it. "While Mr. Taylor publicly played a substantial role in this process ... secretly, he was fuelling hostilities," Lassick said, supplying rebels with arms and ammunition. Last month's landmark ruling by the Special Court for Sierra Leone against Taylor was the first war crimes conviction of a former head of state by an international court since the Nuremberg trials after World War II that convicted Adm. Karl Doenitz, who became president of Germany briefly after Adolf Hitler's suicide.

Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic was tried by an international tribunal, but he died before a judgment was issued. Taylor, 64, was found guilty of all 11 counts of aiding and abetting the deadly rebel campaign in Sierra Leone. He was a pivotal figure in Liberian politics for decades and was forced out of office under international pressure in 2003. He fled to Nigeria, where border guards arrested him three years later as he was attempting to cross into Chad. The United Nations and the Sierra Leone government jointly set up the special tribunal to try those who played the biggest role in the atrocities. The court was moved to the Netherlands from Sierra Leone, where emotions about the civil war still run high. Liberia ex-leader Charles Taylor get 50 years in jail - BBC News Liberia ex-leader Charles Taylor get 50 years in jail 30 May 2012 Close share panel Media captionJudge Richard Lussick reads out the sentence in court Liberia's ex-President Charles Taylor has been sentenced to 50 years in jail by a UN-backed war crimes court.

Last month Taylor was found guilty of aiding and abetting rebels in Sierra Leone during the 1991-2002 civil war. Special Court for Sierra Leone judges said the sentence reflected his status as head of state at the time and his betrayal of public trust. Taylor, 64, insists he is innocent and his lawyer has told the BBC he will appeal against the sentence. While Mr Taylor never set foot in Sierra Leone, his heavy footprint is there Judge Richard Lussick In Sierra Leone, where victims of the war gathered in silence to watch the hearing on a large screen in a courtroom in the capital, Freetown, the sentence was welcomed. The chairman of the country's Amputees' Association, Edward Conteh, told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme it came as a "relief" as Taylor was likely to spend the rest of his life in jail. "It is a step forward as justice has been done, though the magnitude of the sentence is not commensurate with the atrocities committed," AP news agency quotes Deputy Information Minister Sheku Tarawali as saying. 'Heinous crimes' Taylor, wearing a suit and yellow tie, showed no emotion during the hearing.

"The accused has been found responsible for aiding and abetting some of the most heinous crimes in human history," Judge Richard Lussick said. Analysis By Anna HolliganBBC News, The Hague Sentencing the 64-year-old former president to 50 years means in effect that Charles Taylor will spend the rest of his life locked up in jail. His defence team were hoping judges would take into account the fact that Taylor has a family: he is a father of 14 children and an educated man. But the judges decided his role in aiding and abetting the RUF rebels in Sierra Leone was serious enough to warrant 50 years. It is a sentence that human rights groups say will set a precedent and send a message out to other world leaders - that if they commit crimes against humanity they will be forced to face the consequences, regardless of how powerful they are. The crimes - which took place over five years - included cutting off the limbs of their victims and cutting open pregnant women to settle bets over the sex of their unborn children, he said. The prosecution had wanted an 80-year prison term to reflect the severity of the crimes and the central role that Taylor had in facilitating them.

But the judge said that would have been excessive - taking into account the limited scope of his involvement in planning operations in Sierra Leone. However, Judge Lussick said in return for a constant flow of diamonds, Taylor provided arms and both logistical and moral support to the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels - prolonging the conflict and the suffering of the people of Sierra Leone. "While Mr Taylor never set foot in Sierra Leone, his heavy footprint is there," the judge said. "The lives of many more innocent civilians in Sierra Leone were lost or destroyed as a direct result of his actions," he said. In its landmark ruling in April, the court - set up in 2002 to try those who bore the greatest responsibility for the war in which some 50,000 people were killed - found Taylor guilty on 11 counts, relating to atrocities that included rape and murder. He became the first former head of state to be convicted of war crimes by an international court since the Nuremburg trials of Nazis after World War II. This "special status" had put Taylor in a "different category of offenders for the purpose of sentencing," the judge said. His sentence was in line with others handed down by the Special Court for Sierra Leone.

One of the convicted RUF leaders, Issa Sesay, received a 52-year jail term and a rebel from the Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC) group, Alex Tamba Brima, was given 50 years. "But the difference is that those two - Brima and Sesay - are direct perpetrators: They carried out the crimes themselves," Taylor's defence counsel Morris Anyah told the BBC. "The 50-year sentence pronounced today effectively is a life sentence for someone that age - the rules of the court prohibit expressly the imposition of a life sentence," he said. These concerns - and other mitigating facts rejected by the judges, such as Taylor's role in ending the conflict - would be brought before the appeals chamber, the defence lawyer said. 'No remorse' Taylor, who accused the prosecution of paying and threatening witnesses in his war crimes trial, had asked judges to consider his age when making their decision, saying he was "no threat to society". But the trial chamber said that, given his social background and standing, "rehabilitation" was not likely. The fact that he had not expressed remorse or apologised for his part in the conflict also affected the sentence, the judge said.

Earlier, his lawyers had urged the court not to support "attempts by the prosecution to provide the Sierra Leoneans with this external bogeyman upon whom can be heaped the collective guilt of a nation for its predominantly self-inflicted wounds". In Liberia, Taylor's brother-in-law in Liberia, Arthur Saye, maintained the whole process had been "politically motivated". "The sentence is outrageous. How can you give a man 50 years for only aiding and abetting?" he told the BBC. The case was heard in The Hague for fear that a trial in Sierra Leone could destabilise the region. The Dutch government agreed only if Taylor would serve any sentence in another country. He will serve any prison term in the UK but will be held in The Hague until the results of his appeal - a process that could last up to six months, the BBC's Anna Holligan in the Netherlands reports. Charles Taylor to be sentenced for war crimes | World news | The Guardian Charles Taylor Charles Taylor to be sentenced for war crimes Former Liberian president faces 80-year jail term as special court at The Hague cannot impose capital or life sentence Former Liberian president Charles Taylor has called for 'reconciliation, not retribution' at his sentencing for war crimes.

Photograph: Reuters Wednesday 30 May 2012 00.47 EDT First published on Wednesday 30 May 2012 00.47 EDT Share on Messenger Close The former Liberian president Charles Taylor will be sentenced on Wednesday for aiding and abetting war crimes during the long-running civil war in Sierra Leone. The Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) in The Hague cannot impose capital punishment or life imprisonment but prosecutors have called for him to be given an 80-year prison term. Any sentence handed out on Wednesday is likely to be served in the UK, which has offered to accommodate Taylor once his trial and appeal are completed. The civil war left more than 50,000 dead in the west African state. Taylor's defence lawyers have told the court that exiling him to Britain's jails – where a Serbian war crimes convict was attacked in his cell two years ago – would leave him "culturally isolated" and constitute a "punishment within a punishment". Taylor was found guilty last month of 11 counts of aiding and abetting war crimes and crimes against humanity by supporting rebels in Sierra Leone between 1996 and 2002 in return for conflict diamonds.

Offences of which he was found guilty included murder, rape, sexual slavery, recruiting child soldiers, enforced amputations and pillage. In an interim sentencing hearing, the court's chief prosecutor, Brenda Hollis, a former US military prosecutor, said: "Considering the extreme magnitude and seriousness of the crimes that were committed against the people of Sierra Leone for which Taylor has been found responsible … the prosecution recommends that Charles Taylor be sentenced to a prison term of no less than 80 years. No significant mitigating circumstances exist in this case. "[His] positions both as president of Liberia and within the west African regional bodies distinguish him from any other individual that has appeared before this court. Taylor's abuse of his authority and influence is especially egregious given that west African leaders repeatedly entrusted him with a role to facilitate peace." In his final address to the UN-backed tribunal in The Hague, the 64-year-old denied encouraging human rights abuses during the prolonged civil war in neighbouring Sierra Leone, insisting he had in fact been trying to stabilise the region. The court should deliver its sentence in a spirit of "reconciliation, not retribution", said Taylor, who offered no admission of wrongdoing or words of remorse.

"I express my sadness and sympathy for crimes suffered by individuals and families in Sierra Leone," he told the panel of judges at the SCSL. "What I did to bring peace to Sierra Leone was done with honour. I was convinced that unless there was peace in Sierra Leone, Liberia would not be able to move forward. I pushed the peace process hard, contrary to how I have been portrayed in this court." Topics Liberia's Taylor Sentenced to 50 Years for War Crimes Liberia's Taylor Sentenced to 50 Years for War Crimes May 30, 2012 6:13 AM Lisa Bryant Former Liberian President Charles Taylor listens to the judge at the opening of the sentencing judgement hearing at the court in Leidschendam, near The Hague, May 30, 2012. Share See comments PARIS - Former Liberian president Charles Taylor has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for aiding and abetting horrific war crimes committed during Sierra Leone's civil war. Both defense and prosecution are expected to appeal the sentence by an international court in The Hague. Taylor is expected to serve any jail term in a British prison.

Dressed in a dark blue suit and yellow tie, Taylor listened somberly to his sentence that was read by presiding judge Richard Lussick. "Mr. Taylor, for the forgoing reasons, the trial chamber unanimously sentences you to a single term of imprisonment of 50 years for all the counts on which you have been found guilty," said Lussick. Watch video of Taylor sentencing Server error Oops, as you can see, this is not what we wanted to show you! This URL has been sent to our support web team to the can look into it immediately. Our apologies. Please use Search above to see if you can find it elsewhere Guilty on 11 counts Last month, the Special Court for Sierra Leone found Taylor guilty on 11 counts of aiding and abetting rebels who killed, raped and mutilated thousands of people during Sierra Leone's civil war. He is the first African leader to be convicted by an international court and, more generally, the first head of state to face such a conviction since World War II. The prison sentence handed to Taylor is less than the 80 years the prosecution requested.

But the court also dismissed a slew of mitigating factors the defense argued should lighten his sentence, noting his special status as a former head of state. "The trial chamber wishes to underscore the gravity it attaches to Mr. Taylor's betrayal of public trust. In the trial chamber's view, this betrayal outweighs the distinctions that might otherwise pertain to the modes of liability discussed above," said Lussick. 'Heinous' crimes, 'culture of impunity' Reacting to the sentence, Sierra Leone's government said some justice had been done. Sierra Leone researcher for Amnesty International, Lisa Sherman-Nikolaus, also expressed satisfaction. "But what I think is more important to remember today is that while Taylor has been handed a 50-year sentence, for a lot of the survivors of the war in Sierra Leone and Liberia, justice is still not complete. Most of them are still struggling to make a daily living. There's still a culture of impunity," said Sherman-Nikolaus. Judge Lussick's remarks during the sentencing reflected that sentiment. "For those who survived these crimes, the long-term impact on their lives is devastating. Amputees without arms who now have to live on charity because they can no longer work.

Young girls who have been publicly stigmatized and will never recover from the trauma of rape and sexual slavery to which they were subjected," he said. Lussick described the crimes in Sierra Leone as some of the most heinous in history. David Crane, former chief prosecutor for the Special Court for Sierra Leone, called the 50-year sentence "appropriate." Crane spoke to VOA reporter Joe De Capua about the sentence. To listen to the interview, click on the player below. Taylor jailed for 50 years - ITV News 30 May 2012 at 8:51am Taylor jailed for 50 years The former Liberian president and convicted war criminal Charles Taylor is to be sentenced by an international court in The Hague today. Charles Taylor listens to his sentencing Credit: REUTERS/United Photos Presiding judge Richard Lussick said that Charles Taylor's sentence of 50 years was supposed to reflect his position of authority. The prosecution had recommended a sentence of 80 years, but the judge ruled this would be excessive as Taylor had not directly committed the crimes himself. Judge Lussick said: "Leadership must be carried out by example by the prosecution of crimes not the commission of crimes.

"The sentence is intended to "underscore the gravity it attached to the betrayal of public trust." A young man has the initials of the Revolutionary United Front marked in his chest and his ear cut off Credit: Reuters Charles Taylor has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for his role in Sierra Leone's brutal civil war. The presiding judge Richard Lussick said: "The lives of many more innocent civilians in Sierra Leone were lost or destroyed as a direct result of his actions." Last month, Taylor was convicted of 11 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity which included murder, rape, sexual slavery and recruiting child soldiers. Child soldiers from the RUF Credit: Reuters Although the court could not prove that Taylor directly ordered these crimes, is found that he provided"sustained and significant" support to the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels which committed many of the atrocities against civilians. In particular, Taylor was found to have channeled weapons and ammunition to the rebels in exchange for "blood diamonds" mined using slave labor.

Charles Taylor prosecutor recommends prison term of 'no less than 80 years' Brenda Hollis, the lead prosecutor in the Charles Taylor trial at the Special Court for Sierra Leone, has recommended a prison sentence of at least 80 years. At an interim hearing she said of the 64-year-old war criminal: Considering the extreme magnitude and seriousness of the crimes that were committed against the people of Sierra Leone for which Taylor has been found responsible … the prosecution recommends that Charles Taylor be sentenced to a prison term of no less than 80 years. No significant mitigating circumstances exist in this case. Ex-Liberian president gets 50 years for war crimes - NY Daily News Charles Taylor, former president of Liberia, sentenced to 50 years for war crimes Ex-Liberian president gets 50 years for war crimes The Special Court for Sierra Leone found Taylor guilty last month on 11 charges of aiding and abetting rebels.

(Handout) BY The Associated Press Updated: Wednesday, May 30, 2012, 8:25 AM LEIDSCHENDAM, Netherlands -- Judges at an international war crimes court sentenced former Liberian President Charles Taylor to 50 years in prison Wednesday, saying he was responsible for "some of the most heinous and brutal crimes recorded in human history." The 64-year-old warlord-turned-president is the first former head of state convicted by an international war crimes court since World War II and judges said they had no precedent when deciding his sentence. Taylor will serve his sentence in a British jail. His lawyers, however, are expected to appeal his convictions and that will likely keep him in a jail in The Hague, Netherlands, for months. Taylor was convicted last month on 11 charges of aiding and abetting the rebels who went on a savage rampage during the decade-long war that ended in 2002 with more than 50,000 dead. Prosecutors say he funneled arms, ammunition and other supplies in return for "blood diamonds" mined using slave labor.

Presiding Judge Richard Lussick told Taylor his crimes were of the "utmost gravity in terms of scale and brutality." "The lives of many more innocent civilians in Sierra Leone were lost or destroyed as a direct result of his actions," Lussick said. Taylor showed no emotion as Lussick handed down what will effectively be a life sentence. Prosecutors had asked judges at the Special Court for Sierra Leone to impose an 80-year sentence; Taylor's lawyers urged judges to hand down a sentence that offered him some hope of release before he dies. Lussick said an 80-year sentence would have been excessive as Taylor was convicted of aiding and abetting crimes and not direct involvement. But the judge added that Taylor was "in a class of his own" compared to others convicted by the United Nations-backed court. "The special status of Mr. Taylor as a head of state puts him in a different category of offenders for the purpose of sentencing," Lussick said. At a sentencing hearing earlier this month, Taylor expressed "deepest sympathy" for the suffering of victims of atrocities in Sierra Leone, but insisted he had acted to help stabilize the West Africa region and claimed he never knowingly assisted in the commission of crimes.

"What I did...was done with honor," he said. "I was convinced that unless there was peace in Sierra Leone, Liberia would not be able to move forward." However, judges ruled that Taylor armed and supplied the rebels in full knowledge they would likely use weapons to commit terrible crimes, in exchange for payments of "blood diamonds" often obtained by slave labor. Prosecutors said there was no reason for leniency, given the extreme nature of the crimes, Taylor's "greed" and misuse of his position of power. "The purposely cruel and savage crimes committed included public executions and amputations of civilians, the display of decapitated heads at checkpoints, the killing and public disembowelment of a civilian whose intestines were then stretched across the road to make a check point, public rapes of women and girls, and people burned alive in their homes," prosecutor Brenda Hollis wrote in a brief appealing for the 80-year sentence. Taylor stepped down and fled into exile in Nigeria after being indicted by the court in 2003. He was finally arrested and sent to the Netherlands in 2006.

While the Sierra Leone court is based in that country's capital, Freetown, Taylor's trial is being staged in Leidschendam, a suburb of The Hague, for fear holding it in West Africa could destabilize the region. Charles Taylor former Liberian President sentenced to 50 years | Daily Mail Online comments He had a hand in some of the ‘most heinous and brutal crimes in human history’ during an 11-year war in Africa. And yesterday Charles Taylor, the former president of Liberia, received his punishment as he was jailed for the rest of his life by a war crimes judge. He is likely to serve his sentence in Britain following a pledge by the Labour government in 2006. Scroll down to watch the sentencing Jailed: Liberian ex-president Charles Taylor looks downbeat as his sentence is read out today Killer: Charles Taylor, pictured here in his heyday, was told his crimes were of the 'utmost gravity' Richard Lussick, the judge at the UN-backed court in The Hague, said Taylor was in a ‘class of his own’ when it came to war crimes and sentenced him to 50 years.

Taylor, 64, had provided arms and support to the brutal Revolutionary United Front rebels in neighbouring Sierra Leone – in return for a steady supply of ‘blood diamonds’. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share ‘While Mr Taylor never set foot in Sierra Leone, his heavy footprint is there,’ the judge said. The rebels’ atrocities included cutting off the limbs of their victims and cutting open pregnant women to settle bets on the sex of their unborn children, he said. Taylor immediately lodged an appeal which means he will remain in the Netherlands for now. It will cost at least £100,000 a year to keep him in jail here. Labour boasted that its 2006 offer of a cell was proof of a commitment to international justice. During Taylor’s trial, model Naomi Campbell’s evidence provided a key link between Taylor and the diamonds he received in return for arms.

First: Charles Taylor is the first former head of state convicted by a war crimes court since WWII Warlord: As president of Liberia from 1997-2003, Taylor was accused of war crimes including the employment of child soldiers, rape and murder in the brutal war against neighbouring Sierra Leone Taylor is the first former head of state convicted by an international war crimes court since World War II and judges said they had no precedent when deciding his sentence. He looks likely to serve his sentence in a British jail after Tony Blair's government in 2006 made the offer to resolve a stand-off that had delayed Taylor's two-year trial. He said: 'The special status of Mr Taylor as a head of state puts him in a different category of offenders for the purpose of sentencing.' At a sentencing hearing earlier this month, Taylor expressed 'deepest sympathy' for the suffering of victims of atrocities in Sierra Leone. But he insisted he had acted to help stabilise the West Africa region and claimed he never knowingly assisted in the commission of crimes. He said: 'What I did...was done with honour.

I was convinced that unless there was peace in Sierra Leone, Liberia would not be able to move forward.' RUF soldiers, backed by Taylor, pictured riding in a pick-up truck at their base in the outskirts of Freetown Maria Tukamara (left) and Marie Koroome (right) both had limbs hacked off by the RUF A child soldier of the ex-president's militia in Sierra Leone. However, judges ruled that Taylor armed and supplied the rebels in full knowledge they would likely use weapons to commit terrible crimes. This was in exchange for payments of 'blood diamonds' often obtained by slave labour. Prosecutors said there was no reason for leniency, given the extreme nature of the crimes, Taylor's 'greed' and misuse of his position of power. Prosecutor Brenda Hollis wrote in a brief: 'The purposely cruel and savage crimes committed included public executions and amputations of civilians. 'The display of decapitated heads at checkpoints, the killing and public disembowelment of a civilian whose intestines were then stretched across the road to make a check point.

'Public rapes of women and girls, and people burned alive in their homes.' Soldiers backed by Charles Taylor wreaked havoc in Sierra Leone so he could obtain blood diamonds Taylor armed child soldiers who rampaged through Sierra Leone Taylor stepped down and fled into exile in Nigeria after being indicted by the court in 2003. He was finally arrested and sent to the Netherlands in 2006. While the Sierra Leone court is based in that country's capital, Freetown, Taylor's trial is being staged in Leidschendam, a suburb of The Hague, for fear holding it in West Africa could destabilise the region. One of Taylor's sons is in jail for torture, another is awaiting trial for murder and two more children were fathered while he was in Dutch custody. More than 120,000 people were killed and two million displaced in Sierra Leone’s civil war which was characterised by atrocities, the use of enslaved child soldiers and the amputation of children’s limbs as a weapon of terror. Claims: Naomi Campbell (right) allegedly accepted a 'blood diamond' from the former African despot. She said she was given it by unknown men.

Mia Farrow (centre) contradicted this, as did Campbell's former agent Carole White (left) who said Campbell knew Taylor sent two men to her room to give her the precious stones Britain played a vital role in ending the war after Tony Blair sent in 800 troops in May 2000 to evacuate foreign nationals and support Sierra Leone’s fledgling democracy. The UK troops also assisted in capturing rebel leader, Foday Sankoh, and helped to form a military strategy which forced the Revolutionary United Front to retreat from the capital, Freetown, a former Crown colony. Pivotal to the case was the evidence of supermodel Naomi Campbell and actress Mia Farrow, who provided a clear link between Taylor and blood diamonds he received in payment for arms. London-born Miss Campbell admitted being given a pouch of uncut gems by the president’s men after a dinner in South Africa. Taylor is thought to have acquired from the rebels diamonds worth as much as £950million. Judgment was passed at the International Court in The Hague Miners from Sierra Leone working in the diamond fields outside Koidu town in Kono district, eastern Sierra Leone

Question: In 2012, Charles Taylor was sentenced to 50 years in jail for war crimes, of which country had he been president?
Answer: Liberia